New SEC divisions and pods thread (Page 30 starts recent discussion)

[JBJ 3654]

Why not Protect1+8?  It seems the most fair approach as the schedules are most randomized while giving that one rivalry.

Pods is just a smaller version of what is wrong with divisions.

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

30 minutes ago, mdmost said:

The only issue with pods and I guess I'd have to revisit if there was a resolution is how you keep regionality in pods but protect dedicated rivalries like Auburn/Georgia and Tennessee/Bama every year. Those aren't going away and I doubt they'll pair those schools in the same pod. You can't separate Auburn/Bama into different pods. So is it 3 games in your pod + 1 historic rival + 3 from one pod  + 2 from another to get to 9 conference games?

Yeah.  There's pretty much no way to make fair pods and keep the most important rivalries together just because Auburn has rivalries with both Bama and Georgia, and Georgia's other rival is Florida.  You could make reasonable rivalry and geographic pods by putting those four together, but that would be one hell of a death pod, especially because you would likely end up with Tennessee, USC, Vandy, UK and LSU, Ole Miss, Miss St, and Mizzou as two ridiculously easy pods.

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

Just now, JBJ said:

Why not Protect1+8?  It seems the most fair approach as the schedules are most randomized while giving that one rivalry.

Pods is just a smaller version of what is wrong with divisions.

I cannot imagine they want to lose Texas-A&M; Bama-Tenn, and Auburn-UGA.  If not for those rivalries, I could see 1+8 working, but I cannot imagine they want to stop playing those every year.  The closest they could come would be the Big Ten system of assigning each team a random number of rivals from 0-3.

[mdmost 43003]

6 minutes ago, JBJ said:

Why not Protect1+8?  It seems the most fair approach as the schedules are most randomized while giving that one rivalry.

Pods is just a smaller version of what is wrong with divisions.

Because Bama needs to play Auburn and Tennessee every year. Same with Auburn playing Bama and Georgia every year. You wouldn't want to only have Texas playing OU every year when the in-state rival is right there. 

I liked pods until the 3+6 was introduced. I prefer that now because pods can't fairly produce or protect dedicated rivalries every year. 

[Texas Wahoo 3397]

Ran out of time to edit, but if they use the Big Ten system, I could see something like:

 

I could see something like:

Texas - OU, A&M, Ark

A&M - Texas, LSU

Ark - Texas, LSU

OU - Texas

LSU - A&M, Ole Miss, Ark

Ole Miss - Miss State, LSU

Miss State - Ole Miss

Bama - Tenn, Auburn

Auburn - Bama, UGA

UGA - Florida, Auburn

Florida - UGA

Tenn - Bama, Vandy

Vandy - Tenn

USC - None

UK - None

Mizzou - None

 

You could obviously add others (UF-Tenn or UF-Auburn, for insteance), but this seems to get anything that is seriously considered a rivalry without adding a ton of made up ones.

[Sawbonz 27565]

47 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Buncha goddamn stickers and mesquite trees, imo. 

And fire ant mounds 

[closetojumping 62738]

I saw the update this morning that included the concept of pods and figured it would raise eyebrows here. Knowing how that information is being disseminated, I'm not sure thinking too much about that term is warranted. The key is that the 9 game conference schedule has been widely agreed upon and the few remaining schools against it have been told to get fucked. It's also an indicator that the media partners have given an indication that they'll pay for that 9th game from each school.

I still think this winds up 3-6-6. 

[Gucci_Suit 2644]

55 minutes ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Buncha goddamn stickers and mesquite trees, imo. 

Ha, yeah, we could light a grass fire on the visitor side like USC does with the Olympic torch. I’ll stop now. Sorry. 

Fuck the offseason. 

[utee94 15824]

16 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I saw the update this morning that included the concept of pods and figured it would raise eyebrows here. Knowing how that information is being disseminated, I'm not sure thinking too much about that term is warranted. The key is that the 9 game conference schedule has been widely agreed upon and the few remaining schools against it have been told to get fucked. It's also an indicator that the media partners have given an indication that they'll pay for that 9th game from each school.

I still think this winds up 3-6-6. 

Yes that's exactly what I'm taking from the announcement.  The 9 game schedule means that media partners have agreed to pay for it, otherwise the SEC would have punted for another year, and it also means that those opposed were told to get bent, because the media partners have agreed to pay for it.

And 3-6-6 is where it will likely end up, unless they don't want to manufacture an artificial 3rd perma-rival for some schools and instead leave those games floating from one year to another, which would be fine as well.

[gmr548 16580]

unless they don't want to manufacture an artificial 3rd perma-rival for some schools

The states of Oklahoma and Florida deserve each other too much to abandon this.

[Saint Austin 745]

2 hours ago, Pancho said:

From IT:

  Hide contents

Nothing matters more than the 2023 season and the 3-0 Texas Longhorns readying to travel to Waco to play the Baylor Bears. After that game Texas has visiting Kansas, a dangerous offensive team, and then travels to Dallas for the annual rivalry game against Oklahoma. So there’s plenty to concern ourselves with in the present.

As for the future, Texas’ inaugural 2024 SEC season is already scheduled. But that schedule is a placeholder, a one-off designed to buy the schedulers and politicians in the SEC time to figure out a more permanent arrangement. 

Nine game conference schedule 

We are not reporting this as fact but we’ve heard it credibly the SEC will revert to a nine game conference schedule in 2025. Currently the SEC employs an eight game slate that typically features four pushovers in non-conference. SEC scheduling has largely helped to build the mystique of the conference once you get past Alabama, Georgia, LSU and sometimes Florida. That fourth non-conference game equates to a whole lot of conference wins rather than the 50/50 win-loss split you see in other conferences. 

The extra conference game is something Texas power brokers have supported as a way to improve gates and concessions as well as the overall product and fan experience. As you know, the current UT leadership wants all the challenges, best represented by the move to the SEC in the first place. Why switch conferences to play an extra directional school each year?

The NCAA moving to a 12-team playoff has made this schedule more palatable to conference decision-makers.

 

Pod of Rivals

We aren’t reporting this as fact, either, but we’re also hearing the 16 member universities will be broken into four pods. The best guess on Texas’ pod includes Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Arkansas. That would be a Pod of Rivals if there ever was one.

RRS game time

Speaking of OU, we’ve heard that game will permanently move to a 2:30 p.m. time slot. We expect it to be held at 11:00 a.m. this year but going forward you’ll likely have the chance to drink much more wax beer and eat much more fried foods at the State Fair. Pace yourselves accordingly.

Natural grass

A final note, the topic of a natural playing surface returning to DKR is often brought up, especially after the scorching conditions on the field turf against Rice and Alabama. Grass will make its return but that’s probably still a few seasons away. We weren’t given a reason for that but we’re sure there’s a good one.

 

Seems like a fuckload of conjecture without any basis in reporting or fact.

[closetojumping 62738]

26 minutes ago, Saint Austin said:

Seems like a fuckload of conjecture without any basis in reporting or fact.

IT has access to members of the BOR, Del Conte, Hartzell, and across the span of the various coaching staffs within Bellmont. That information 100% came from someone on high down to Bobby Burton who let Nahlin publish it. Dismiss it if you would like, but the access is legitimate and this info is as well. 

Now, like I implied earlier, there's a trial balloon aspect to some of what has been released, particularly the pods part. I would expect to see some similar stories trickle out at a few other SEC school sites this week.

[mdmost 43003]

29 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

3-6-6 probably would make the most sense, but it’s still going to be irritating when some random school nobody wants to play like Missouri gets an artificial bump every year because their 3 permanent rivals are some leftover grab bag like Vanderbilt, Kentucky, and South Carolina.  Somebody will have a fake program resurgence like Iowa in recent years where their good seasons were 100% based on not having any of Ohio State, Michigan or Penn State on the schedule.

I think they'll balance it so no one gets a lay up set of 3. Vandy will get Tennessee but Tennessee gets Alabama. Kentucky probably gets Florida or Tennessee. South Carolina gets Georgia who also gets Auburn and probably Florida. They're not sticking Vandy, Kentucky, South Carolina in one grouping. Alabama will get one layup in either Ole Miss or Mississippi State since they'll have to get Tennessee and Auburn. Mizzou will get OU but OU also has us and either aggy or Arkansas. There was a weird report that OU would get Florida but I think that was probably bs. 

I think this is a good place to get an idea of what the permanent rivals might be:

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/southeastern-conference-most-played-rivalries-all-time-entering-2019/

Edited September 20, 2023 by mdmost

[jdhorn92 1552]

Saban is so retiring after this season. No proven QB next year, he’s not going through ‘23 for a second time. No playmakers on O. A defense that’s getting pushed around. $13m new home in Florida and a 9 game conference schedule.  He gone 

[DanTheHorn 4925]

4 hours ago, Pancho said:

From IT:

  Reveal hidden contents

Nothing matters more than the 2023 season and the 3-0 Texas Longhorns readying to travel to Waco to play the Baylor Bears. After that game Texas has visiting Kansas, a dangerous offensive team, and then travels to Dallas for the annual rivalry game against Oklahoma. So there’s plenty to concern ourselves with in the present.

As for the future, Texas’ inaugural 2024 SEC season is already scheduled. But that schedule is a placeholder, a one-off designed to buy the schedulers and politicians in the SEC time to figure out a more permanent arrangement. 

Nine game conference schedule 

We are not reporting this as fact but we’ve heard it credibly the SEC will revert to a nine game conference schedule in 2025. Currently the SEC employs an eight game slate that typically features four pushovers in non-conference. SEC scheduling has largely helped to build the mystique of the conference once you get past Alabama, Georgia, LSU and sometimes Florida. That fourth non-conference game equates to a whole lot of conference wins rather than the 50/50 win-loss split you see in other conferences. 

The extra conference game is something Texas power brokers have supported as a way to improve gates and concessions as well as the overall product and fan experience. As you know, the current UT leadership wants all the challenges, best represented by the move to the SEC in the first place. Why switch conferences to play an extra directional school each year?

The NCAA moving to a 12-team playoff has made this schedule more palatable to conference decision-makers.

 

Pod of Rivals

We aren’t reporting this as fact, either, but we’re also hearing the 16 member universities will be broken into four pods. The best guess on Texas’ pod includes Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Arkansas. That would be a Pod of Rivals if there ever was one.

RRS game time

Speaking of OU, we’ve heard that game will permanently move to a 2:30 p.m. time slot. We expect it to be held at 11:00 a.m. this year but going forward you’ll likely have the chance to drink much more wax beer and eat much more fried foods at the State Fair. Pace yourselves accordingly.

Natural grass

A final note, the topic of a natural playing surface returning to DKR is often brought up, especially after the scorching conditions on the field turf against Rice and Alabama. Grass will make its return but that’s probably still a few seasons away. We weren’t given a reason for that but we’re sure there’s a good one.

 

I don't buy the POD talk if they don't know why we are not getting grass soon. Del Conte has only given the answer in about 5 different interviews.

[msucolt45 4062]

I can see the aggy “powers that be” trying behind closed doors for their group NOT to include both Texas and OU. On the premise that they’re “old SEC” and have rights! Hand-shaken or not!

Hook’em!!!

[msucolt45 4062]

I don't buy the POD talk if they don't know why we are not getting grass soon. Del Conte has only given the answer in about 5 different interviews.

We aren’t getting real grass until the new practice facility is built. Once DKR gets grass, the “ideal plan” is to put grass at the baseball stadium too.

Hook’em!!!

[Deej 76797]

Put Ricky in charge of the grass.

 

[MirrOlure 14786]

Any thoughts on when they’ll announce the actual 2024 schedule? Some of us like to get a 1 year jump on making plans!

[TKthunder2 4992]

3 hours ago, mdmost said:

I think they'll balance it so no one gets a lay up set of 3. Vandy will get Tennessee but Tennessee gets Alabama. Kentucky probably gets Florida or Tennessee. South Carolina gets Georgia who also gets Auburn and probably Florida. They're not sticking Vandy, Kentucky, South Carolina in one grouping. Alabama will get one layup in either Ole Miss or Mississippi State since they'll have to get Tennessee and Auburn. Mizzou will get OU but OU also has us and either aggy or Arkansas. There was a weird report that OU would get Florida but I think that was probably bs. 

I think this is a good place to get an idea of what the permanent rivals might be:

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/southeastern-conference-most-played-rivalries-all-time-entering-2019/

They already floated the setup with Ross Dellenger. They took the conference winning % over the last 10 years. The top 8 played 2 of the other top 8 and 1 from the bottom 8, the bottom 8 play did the reverse. The only notable oddity was that Tennessee (after having an atrocious decade+) was in the bottom 8 (and at number 13 I might add) so Alabama is yelling about having to play the hardest schedule known to man. A few games might move around but I think this setup is the most likely.

• Missouri: Oklahoma, Arkansas, Vanderbilt
• Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, Ole Miss
• Texas A&M: LSU, Texas, Mississippi State
• Texas: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas
• Oklahoma: Texas, Missouri, Florida
• LSU: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama
• Ole Miss: Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas
• Mississippi State: Ole Miss, Kentucky, Texas A&M
• Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, LSU
• Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt
• Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Auburn, Missouri
• Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama, South Carolina
• Kentucky: Mississippi State, South Carolina, Georgia
• Georgia: Auburn, Florida, Kentucky
• Florida: Georgia, South Carolina, Oklahoma
• South Carolina: Florida, Tennessee, Kentucky

https://www.si.com/college/2023/03/03/sec-football-schedule-dellenger-opponents-for-each-team-new-format

Edited September 21, 2023 by TKthunder2

[thunderlounge 7837]

I could see that, but maybe put misery/cock and uk/vandy. They’ve been trying to get a Columbia/Columbia thing going, but not sure  if it’s got much attention. 
 

[msucolt45 4062]

In the future, if they don’t go with Pods, there will be an injustice, especially considering the SEC East. That is why the 3-6-6 plan erases that for the most part. Scramble them all up and make everyone play everybody within four years - home and home!

Hook’em!!!

[TKthunder2 4992]

These would be my changes to the model that was floated.

 

Missouri: Oklahoma, Arkansas, South Carolina

Arkansas: Missouri, Texas, Ole Miss

Texas A&M: LSU, Texas, Mississippi State

Texas: Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas

Oklahoma: Texas, Missouri, Florida

LSU: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Alabama

Ole Miss: Mississippi State, LSU, Arkansas

Mississippi State: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt

Alabama: Auburn, Tennessee, LSU

Auburn: Alabama, Georgia, Vanderbilt

Vanderbilt: Tennessee, Auburn, Mississippi State

Tennessee: Vanderbilt, Alabama, Kentucky

Kentucky: Tennessee, South Carolina, Florida

Georgia: Auburn, Florida, South Carolina

Florida: Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma

South Carolina: Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri

 

[David Dennison 18860]

6 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

For the authentic Keep Austin Weird experience, we should just surround the field with a ring of drag rats who are all vaping and panhandling the first row of fans.  

[elfenix 34251]

6 hours ago, Gucci_Suit said:

When we return to grass, we should also do some extra iconic landscaping around the field like they do in the SEC. But instead of hedges, I was thinking cactus? You don’t go into Austin, TX and get a win between the cacti, etc. 

Or maybe instead of grass, we should zero scape the field? Creative juices are flowing. 

new surlyism

[TKthunder2 4992]

19 minutes ago, thunderlounge said:

I could see that, but maybe put misery/cock and uk/vandy. They’ve been trying to get a Columbia/Columbia thing going, but not sure  if it’s got much attention. 
 

So if you have Tennessee play both Kentucky and Vanderbilt (which I think is the most valuable game for those schools) then you can’t have UK/Vandy play in keeping with the model where the SEC looks to be intentionally trying to avoid making pseudo pods.

They could have made Texas, Arkansas, aggy, Oklahoma all play each other but instead the model went out of the way to have them mix in others so that they don’t all play the same teams. In fact OU, aggy, and Arkansas don’t play each other at all as rivals but they still have these local games on their every other year schedule mixing in some regionality.

[MIkeHoncho 1911]

6 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

For the authentic Keep Austin Weird experience, we should just surround the field with a ring of drag rats who are all vaping and panhandling the first row of fans.  

We have to have Leslie's Beer Garden someplace don't we? 

[Beau Vine 54231]

1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

They were "drag worms" when I was in college, so it appears that they have evolved...

[wood 11226]

1 hour ago, Beau Vine said:

They were "drag worms" when I was in college, so it appears that they have evolved...

Yes. In my experience, Drag Worms is the preferred nomenclature.

[dec3169 501]

13 hours ago, Doc Daneeka said:

Buncha goddamn stickers and mesquite trees, imo. 

Throw in some of the burrs from East Texas.  I can send some from my yard.  There are plenty to go around.

[dec3169 501]

12 hours ago, Sawbonz said:

And fire ant mounds 

Probably wouldn't be many more "delay of game" penalties.

[WBT 20579]

15 hours ago, JBJ said:

Why not Protect1+8?  It seems the most fair approach as the schedules are most randomized while giving that one rivalry.

Because 1+2*8 =/= 15

[Lou_Sassle 2875]

18 hours ago, longhornmatt said:

For the authentic Keep Austin Weird experience, we should just surround the field with a ring of drag rats who are all vaping and panhandling the first row of fans.  

While waving dildos... you can't forget the dildos

[Gucci_Suit 2644]

12 hours ago, elfenix said:

new surlyism

Haha. Yeah, Xeriscape doesn’t have the same ring. 

[Park Gothic 5042]

9 hours ago, wood said:

Yes. In my experience, Drag Worms is the preferred nomenclature.

I've lived in Austin my whole life and have only ever heard them referred to as "drag rats," by people my age (40's) and by people who went to UT in the 60's and 70's. Not doubting you or disagreeing, it's just weird to see a new term used when I thought "drag rats" was ubiquitous. 

[Earl Haffler 591]

9 hours ago, wood said:

Yes. In my experience, Drag Worms is the preferred nomenclature.

Oh the days of pointing a laser beam out of Dobie Center and watching the Dragworms follow it on the sidewalk.

[closetojumping 62738]

12 minutes ago, Park Gothic said:

I've lived in Austin my whole life and have only ever heard them referred to as "drag rats," by people my age (40's) and by people who went to UT in the 60's and 70's. Not doubting you or disagreeing, it's just weird to see a new term used when I thought "drag rats" was ubiquitous. 

This is correct.

[Not a Sock 2313]

20 hours ago, Gucci_Suit said:

When we return to grass, we should also do some extra iconic landscaping around the field like they do in the SEC. But instead of hedges, I was thinking cactus? You don’t go into Austin, TX and get a win between the cacti, etc. 

Or maybe instead of grass, we should zero scape the field? Creative juices are flowing. 

Hell let’s just plant a whole brush country garden going, huisache, mesquite, black brush, cat claw, prickly pear, devils crown, yucca, pencil cactus. All sponsored by Game Guard.

[Chef Bezos 75]

31 minutes ago, Park Gothic said:

I've lived in Austin my whole life and have only ever heard them referred to as "drag rats," by people my age (40's) and by people who went to UT in the 60's and 70's. Not doubting you or disagreeing, it's just weird to see a new term used when I thought "drag rats" was ubiquitous. 

I went to UT 2010-2014 and everyone called them drag rats. Never heard drag worms once in my life. 

[Park Gothic 5042]

4 minutes ago, Chef Bezos said:

I went to UT 2010-2014 and everyone called them drag rats. Never heard drag worms once in my life. 

https://thedailytexan.com/2018/05/03/we-must-challenge-the-term-drag-rat/

After some exhaustive research I found that the Daily Texan opposes the use of the phrase "drag rat," so that's the clearly correct term. 

[David Dennison 18860]

Drag worm v. Drag rat is definitely an age thing. I'm 51 and never heard the term "drag rat" until about a year or so ago on this site.

 

[NeverMarryAStripper 21907]

We have this discussion every couple of years here.  I graduated in 79, and it was Drag Worms in my group

Edited September 21, 2023 by NeverMarryAStripper

[wood 11226]

2 hours ago, Earl Haffler said:

Oh the days of pointing a laser beam out of Dobie Center and watching the Dragworms follow it on the sidewalk.

LOL.

2 hours ago, Park Gothic said:

I've lived in Austin my whole life and have only ever heard them referred to as "drag rats," by people my age (40's) and by people who went to UT in the 60's and 70's. Not doubting you or disagreeing, it's just weird to see a new term used when I thought "drag rats" was ubiquitous. 

Can't speak to any other decade, but I was, sadly, at UT for almost the entire decade of the 80s lol. In the 80s, it was Dragworms all the way. Never heard anything else. I also worked around there for years after graduating and heard Dragworms all the time in the 90s.

Dragworm/Drag rat talk not going away.

:team dragworm:

Edited September 21, 2023 by wood

[wood 11226]

1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

Drag worm v. Drag rat is definitely an age thing. I'm 51 and never heard the term "drag rat" until about a year or so ago on this site.

Well, you know ... kids are stupid. Doin' shit wrong as usual.

[PilotsError 2287]

I’m 44 and I never heard or saw drag rats until I read it in this thread. Was always drag worms for me. 

[Deej 76797]

2 hours ago, Park Gothic said:

I've lived in Austin my whole life and have only ever heard them referred to as "drag rats," by people my age (40's) and by people who went to UT in the 60's and 70's. Not doubting you or disagreeing, it's just weird to see a new term used when I thought "drag rats" was ubiquitous. 

Wrong. It was drag worms until the 90's when the old homeless guys were replaced by the wasted kids. 

 

2 hours ago, closetojumping said:

This is correct.

No, it is not. 

[Park Gothic 5042]

48 minutes ago, longhornmatt said:

I always knew this website would have its Sunni vs. Shiite schism over something, but I never dreamed it would be over drag worm vs. drag rat.  Can’t we all just get along and accept that each generation of alumni before the class of 2015 has their own unique way of affectionately denigrating hobos that the kids today find triggering?

[jTower 227]

Definitely drag worms. I thought drag rats was a typo and ignored it. 

[Hozz 1017]

3 minutes ago, jTower said:

Definitely drag worms. I thought drag rats was a typo and ignored it. 

Same.  Age 50.  Lived in Austin 91-97.

[Saint Tacky 1614]

Drag worms as well. Never saw or heard of the Phi Delts paying two "Drag Rats" to fight one another.